ducklings to maturity. Then came low 
prices for wheat and the next year he 
selected a dozen varieties of wild ducks, 
other than mallards, but including gol- 
den eyes and buffle heads and raised 
them all. 
TURNING some of his cheap wheat 
into these ducks brought him suffi- 
ciently more money to enable him to 
build comfortable winter quarters so 
that he could keep his breeding stock 
through the cold winter months of 
Northwest Canada. You will see him 
in the illustration, out hawking with 
the assistance of a sharp tail grouse. 
This wild duck farmer gradually ex- 
tended his hobby of breeding wild ducks 
to the business of breeding more wild 
ducks until now he has bred several 
varieties not heretofore bred in full or 
semi-captivity. After his success with 
the ducks, he extended his game breed- 
ing to include upland birds, and ruffed 
grouse, sharp tail grouse and prairie 
chickens bred on his place walk about 
the veranda and eat out of his hand, 
even, for he protects them from cats, 
hawks, owls and crows, and other ver- 
min. From a hobby, begun because he 
did not want to destroy wild duck eggs 
under his plow, game-breeding has be- 
come quite a business with Mr. Dave 
Howard Bendick of Northern Alberta, 
licensed under both Provincial and Do- 
minion governments. His individual 
shipments are world wide and he has 
also sent out an occasional carload of 
live birds to the Pacific and Atlantic 
Coasts—a very profitable and enjoyable 
side line in farming that adds interest 
to grain-growing and dairying. 
Many men, looking back at the great 

The bird on the 
gun barrel is a pet hand-reared 
sharp tail grouse 
Out hawking. 
Page 719 
Baby blue geese with foster parents. 

eth ge 
a bongs : 
lignes, PS or 

ie, 3 See 
Dogs disturbed the adult blue geese 
and the eggs were placed under Canadas 
pleasure they had bagging game when 
they were boys and young men, and 
considering the present very great scar- 
city of game, might enjoy the replen- 
ishing of this country with game so 
that our grandchildren may at least 
know what such birds look like, may at 
least have the pleasure of seeing a few 
varieties and perhaps eating a bit of 
game occasionally. The first of Sep- 
tember I traveled from New Orleans 
to Chicago and did not see one game 
bird or animal all the way north, ex- 
cept quantities of crows. These game 
destroyers were everywhere. 
ERY recently, I made a complete 
circuit of the United States, my 
travels including trips through South- 
ern Ontario, Alberta and British Col- 
umbia. Naturally, as breeding birds is 
my hobby, I visited every bird farm I 
came across and nowhere did I find any 
mean withholding of information which 
could be passed on to other breeders. 
One man who was breeding pheasants 
told me he has orders for his birds 
three years ahead. Many breeders 
have orders at least a year ahead 
as there is such a_  desire—almost 
a scramble—for live game birds, Ameri- 
can bred, for propagating purposes. 
Game clubs and shooting preserves are 
all crying for stock, and there are so 
few breeders of even the common birds 
that they never seem able to secure all 
the birds they want. 
No one, of course, should rush into 
game-breeding with the thought that 
great headway will be made immedi- 
ately from the beginning. It is neces- 
sary to take very great care in starting . 
a game farm. The pioneer American 
game-breeders have suffered enormous 
losses through haste and imperfect 
preparation. Some of them have cut 
the business too soon, without waiting 
to make profits out of their experience; 
others have had to give up because they 
lost their capital, while others who have 
gone more slowly and carefully are now 
reaping the rewards of a well-estab- 
lished business. Game-breeding is an 
art that is well understood by Euro- 
peans, Chinese and Japanese, but not 
by many Americans. The French, 
Japanese and Chinese particularly, will 
concentrate on one variety, breeding it, 
perhaps, in their little back garden, and 
succeeding at their undertaking very 
well indeed. They do it as a hobby and 
as a side line for a little extra money. 
So many Frenchmen carry on the breed- 
ing of birds that it is almost impossible 
to calculate the enormous numbers of 
game in the country, even with the help 
of government statistics. In Holland, 
Germany, Austria and in England are 
many game farms that cover great 
tracts of country, where a large variety 
of upland birds and waterfowl from 
teal to swans are bred very successfully. 
In the illustrations are some birds 
which have been bred only by Mr. F. E. 
Blaauw of Holland. Weé Americans 
have left to an European, the breeding 
of our Emperor geese, our Trumpeter 
swans, our Hawaiian geese! Mr. 
Blaauw has also bred the Indian Bar 
headed geese, the Tasmanian geese and 
many other varieties of game, the ma- 
jority of which have never been bred in 
this country. Why? Because Mr. 
Blaauw has infinite patience and un- 
derstands the art of game-breeding. 
Reliable importers of game birds and 
animals are gradually increasing along 
the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts, as well 
as along the Mexican border. 
HERE are, of course, some unrelia- 
ble importers, as in any business, 
so that in importing birds or animals 
one has to be exceedingly careful to se- 
lect a reliable firm of importers. But 
the men who are licensed by the Bio- 
logical Survey at Washington, to trap 
game birds for propagating purposes, 
are generally very reliable, as this De 
(Continued on page 755) 
